PUP Women’s Group Emerges with National Concerns

The women of the People’s United Party called a press conference this morning to speak out on several national issues. The head table included, Opposition Senator Lisa Shoman and Magali Marin Young as legal advisor. The four women standard bearers for the PUP were present. Those included Dr. Lesbia Guerra who is running in Cayo West, Dolores Balderamos Garcia who will go against the UDPs Beverly Castillo, in Belize Rural Central, Yasmin Shoman who hopes to defeat Education Minister and current Collett Area Representative, Patrick Faber and Dorla Vaughan who is set to go against a political giant Michael Finnegan in the Mesopotamia Division. The women spoke on several issues of national importance including crime and violence, education and the healthcare system. They wanted to let the public know that they, as women in politics, have specific roles to play.

YASMIN SHOMAN

“Day by day in all of our constituencies and countrywide we see growing unemployment, increasing poverty with half of this nation, 150,000 Belizean men women and children slipping and falling below the poverty line. We see escalation in crime with over 80 Belizeans slaughtered on the beautiful cemented streets of the south side of Belize City; 15 of whom were snuffed out in the Collet Division alone.”

DR. LESBIA GUERRA

“The time has come, the opportunity is before us, it is time to say enough. It’s time to stop thinking as individuals, to stop fighting because it is exactly this that leads us to oppression and suffering. Today we are governed by tyrants who pride themselves by being able to buy your vote that deliberately create the visions within our people, that recourse to insults and violence to intimidate our citizens in order to remain in power, power that they use only to benefit themselves and cronies meanwhile our communities continue in poverty without employment opportunities and you know what? This will only get worse.”

DOLORES BALDERAMOS GARCIA

“I would like to call on all colleagues, all Standard Bearers of the People’s United Party, everyone interested in having a positive change in this country to pull up our sleeves, put our shoulders to the wheel and get to work. The women of the People’s United Party as well as our men are heeding the call to step forward and to make that work happen. Let us focus on the mission of the People’s United Party, let us focus on our opponent, the Honorable Prime Minister and his current government.”

DORLA VAUGHAN

“We must fight together, we must not allow the UDP to continue to use their bait and bleed tactics to try to destroy us, to use our very own to try to destroy us. Today we must say no more.”